


(Not Exactly) A Perfect Mirror

by nurfherder



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series, Supernatural
Genre: Discovery, Fluff, M/M, Nerdiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-09
Updated: 2013-04-09
Packaged: 2017-12-07 22:52:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/753991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nurfherder/pseuds/nurfherder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel has never seen Star Trek. Dean decides to repair that as soon as possible. But he isn't prepared for the things that Castiel sees in his show.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(Not Exactly) A Perfect Mirror

Somewhere around Dean’s third completely missed Star Trek reference, he decided straight up that he was going to sit Castiel down and force-feed him some pop culture goodness. No, not goodness:  _greatness_. Problem was, things kept getting in the way. Monsters; the hunt; the tablets; mission after mission—and the rather inconvenient,  though wonderful, discovery of their mutual attraction. Months spent apart as they anguished over gay-or-not-gay-or-gay, angsted over man and angel, anguish angst dread… then wild tonguing and confessions on a couch seemed to clear things up right away.

Three months later, they had settled into something close to normal—no,  _better_  than normal. Until Dean would say something like, “Phasor is set for kill,” or “green-blooded hob-goblin,” and Cas would just stare at him blankly.

It simply would not do—Cas was going to have to watch Star Trek.

Sam had been the accidental savior of the year. On Christmas he had gifted Dean a subscription to Netflix. He’d spent the day setting it up for Dean, showing him how to run it to the television. At first, Dean had been doubtful. Who would have the time for something like this? How could they?

But, up late one night and scanning through the instant-play titles, Dean’s jaw dropped. There it was:  _Star Trek: The Original Series_. All three seasons in glorious high definition.

Oh, it was on.

So every chance received, when down time was available, Dean and Castiel would wave goodnight to Sam and tuck themselves into the couch to watch.

At first, Castiel was a bit of an irritating viewing partner. He kept asking questions, which was, to be fair, something very standard for him to do when they watched things. It always drove Dean mad. He knew that Cas was simply afraid he would misunderstand something, as he was not a native to human nature. So, fighting for patience, Dean would take a deep breath of air and answer as calmly as he could.

“This is supposed to take place in the future, Dean? The future of mankind?”

Dean set his jaw. “Yes.”

Castiel paused, returning his gaze just long enough for Dean to settle back into the show, when Castiel spoke again. “This looks nothing like the future.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “It was filmed in the 60s, Cas.”

“Yes, I understand that. But that’s not what I was referring to. I mean, the future of mankind—it looks nothing like this.”

“Cas!” Dean turned his head sharply. “It’s a goddamn TV Show. And it’s one of my favorites. So stop ripping it a new one and just watch it, ok?”

Castiel raised his brows and, after a moment, zipped his lips, and settled into Dean. Later that night, when they climbed into bed, Castiel whispered gently into Dean’s ear, “I take it back.”

“Take what back?”

“Well, you and Sam and Bobby—and I, I suppose—we  _changed_  the future. No one can know it anymore. Suffice to say—you may get your Star Trek future after all Dean.”

Dean smiled softly, closing his eyes.

“Of course, you’ll be long dead by then.”

“That’s lovely, Cas. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Mid-way into Season Two, Dean and Cas were once again wrapped up in a blanket, staring into the television. Cas sat slightly forward, his elbows perched on his knees. He was staring avidly, and was so into the story-line of the episode that Dean found himself watching Cas more than he did the show. It was fucking adorable.

“Dean,” Castiel spoke, glancing over his shoulder. “When do they resolve the homoerotic tension?”

Dean raised an eyebrow. “The what now?”

“The homosexual tension between Kirk and Spock. I have been expecting it to be addressed for some time now. I cannot wait any longer, please ‘spoil’ me. When do they resolve it?”

Dean stared at Cas, then grabbed the remote and hit pause. “Cas, what the hell are you talking about. Kirk and Spock are not gay.”

Cas’s jaw dropped slightly. “Oh.” He turned to the screen again and was silent for a moment, then he looked back at Dean with his eyebrows set firmly, his mouth smiling ever so slightly. “No, Dean, they are.”

“Dude, you’re freaking nuts.”

“Am I? This is the future, isn’t it? Is it that inconceivable to think that homosexuality will be more widely accepted, and sexuality will be considered consistently more fluid—”

“Cas, Kirk is—Kirk is a  _ladies_  man, for crying out loud. How many chicks have we seen him bone in this show? He’s always talking about women.”

“Ah yes.” Castiel raised an eyebrow meaningfully. “I don’t know anyone in this room who fits that description.”

Dean’s mouth fell into a hard line. “I don’t appreciate the sarcasm.”

“Well then, you should appreciate the similarities between you and Captain Kirk.” When Dean could not say anything else, Castiel continued. “And for that matter, observe the similarities between myself and Spock. Foreign to humanity, alien—which is like angel, in my case—logical in process, to a fault.” He inclined his head slightly with a soft grin. “We are not a perfect mirror. But I do identify with him strongly. He is my, as you would put it, favorite character. As Kirk is yours, is he not?”

Dean stared at him. “I like Bones.”

“Well, yes, I do as well.”

“What, you gonna tell me Sam’s like Bones now, huh?”

Castiel paused. “Now that you mention it, I can see some—”

“Dude, Cas—” Dean sat forward. “Kirk and Spock—they’re not—they are not like us, they’re not our situation, ok, they’re—they’re  _different_.”

“Really? Then please tell me how.”

“Well, they’re… they’re…” Dean stopped. Words were falling to the tip of his tongue, but his mind was scratching out each one.  _They’re soldiers… They’re best friends… They’re comrades in arms… They’re yin and yang… They’re… They’re_ …

“Well,” Castiel said quietly, barely containing his victory, “When you think of an answer, I’ll be in the kitchen, getting some coffee. Would you like some?”

Dean said nothing; he didn’t watch him go, he didn’t respond to the smug pat on his knee. He just stared at the TV, his brain on a numb, insane loop. He blinked at the screen, at the paused moment that just so happened to catch Kirk looking at Spock. Dean’s finger twitched; he pressed play, and watched Spock look at Kirk, and then Kirk look at Spock, and then a wide shot of the two of them together…

Castiel was blowing gently over his coffee, leaning against the counter, when Dean found him.

“Oh my God. They’re  _gay_.”

Castiel smiled, and Dean continued. “They’re… they’re freaking  _us_ , Cas. I’m Kirk, and you’re—”

“I’m Spock, yes.” He smiled gently. “Don’t get too run away with the parallels, Dean. It’s not exact.”

“Yeah, but—but—it’s so  _obvious_ , Cas, how could I not… how did I not know—and holy shit—” He stared across at Cas seriously. “We haven’t even  _gotten_  to  _The_   _Wrath of Khan_  yet. Oh my God,  _The_   _Wrath of Khan_. ‘Human’… Cas, holy shit.”

Cas sipped at his coffee carefully. “Are you going to be alright, Dean?”

“I just… Cas, that’s my whole… that’s my childhood, man! Nights up late, waiting for my Dad, Sammy was asleep, and I… I was on the Enterprise. And I mean, I didn’t know that—I didn’t  _think_  that—”

“I suppose our own situation has somehow made this idea easier for you to process. But don’t worry, Dean. Watching Star Trek in your youth did not hard-wire you to be gay.”

“I wasn’t thinking that.”

Castiel bobbed his head gently from side to side. “I think you were, a little. But even if it affected you in that way—even if it was a reason you became so Kirk-like—how can it be a bad thing that you would want someone in your life that means as much to Kirk as Spock does?”

Dean smiled gently across at Castiel, watching him stare shyly at his feet.

“They love each other. Very much. Through battles and loss…” He looked up into Dean’s eyes, pressing the feeling through every word as he said, “Spock loves Kirk.”

Dean felt his heart thump loudly in his chest. “And Kirk loves his Spock.”

They looked at each other for a few more moments, before Castiel dropped his gaze with a beautiful, soft smile. “Now then—would you like to watch another episode? Or should we go to bed?”

Dean answered his question by striding across the room and kissing him warmly. First time that they said they loved each other? Fuck yes they were going into the bedroom.

Dean loved Star Trek; and Dean loved Cas; and none of those things were ever going to change.


End file.
